20EM_X11

EQUILIBRIUM MODEL / EXPERIMENT ELEVEN

This model explores the structural capabilities of a standard pair of scissors. The scissors’ hinge, lades, and handles present a variety of strategies for anchoring the object to the ground plane and connecting it to a tensile support. Two grooves in the model’s base anchor the scissors and restrict the range of motion of the hinge.

With these stabilizing elements, the scissors serve as struts, handing the compressive force from the weight of the mass. A cord is attached to the base with a series of hooks in order to provide the necessary tensile force to balance the system and maintain equilibrium.